Baylor moves to No. 4 in BCS rankings; Alabama, Florida State still lead

Baylor has become the biggest threat to Ohio State's No. 3 spot in the rankings. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Unbeaten Baylor jumped to No. 4 in the latest BCS rankings released on Sunday, just behind No. 3 Ohio State.

Thanks to Stanford's loss to USC on Saturday, the Bears moved even closer to the Buckeyes in the BCS rankings. Alabama (No. 1) and Florida State (2) remained in the lead, while Oregon climbed one spot to No. 5.

The complete BCS rankings:

1. Alabama

2. Florida State

3. Ohio State

4. Baylor

5. Oregon

6. Auburn

7. Clemson

8. Missouri

9. Stanford

10. Oklahoma State

11. South Carolina

12. Texas A&M

13. Michigan State

14. UCLA

15. Fresno State

16. Northern Illinois

17. Arizona State

18. UCF

19. Wisconsin

20 Oklahoma

21. Louisville

22. LSU

23. USC

24. Ole Miss

25. Minnesota

A few thoughts:

• At this point, Alabama and Florida State can pack their bags for Pasadena if both teams win out. That's why the BCS battle to watch will be the No. 3 spot. Each week, it seems Baylor becomes a bigger threat to Ohio State's hold on the third BCS spot. Thanks to Stanford's 20-17 loss to USC, the Bears are now even closer to jumping the Buckeyes as the season draws to a close, and this coming weekend could be when that happens. Baylor faces off against Oklahoma State, which currently sits at No. 10 in the BCS. Ohio State plays an Indiana team that's won only two Big Ten games. Provided the Bears take care of business on the road, expect a flip-flop in the rankings next week.

• Does anybody remember when Auburn won three total games and went winless in the SEC in 2012? Nobody on the Plains probably does after the Tigers' miraculous win over Georgia on Saturday. After moving up one spot in the BCS rankings to No. 6, Auburn now heads into a bye week before facing one of the most pivotal Iron Bowls in recent memory. These Tigers aren't just a turnaround story; they're now a legit contender in the SEC and, if Alabama isn't careful, Auburn could very likely sneak into the BCS title conversation.

• Ohio State and Michigan State get most of the headlines in the Big Ten, but Minnesota has quietly put together an eight-win season in 2013. Now the Gophers have jumped into the BCS rankings at No. 25. This is a team that won six games last year but lost four of its last five. In light of head coach Jerry Kill's health issues surrounding epileptic seizures, this has to be a nice feel-good story for the folks in Minneapolis.